Metallic mat or floor-covering



(No Model.)l l v W. O. BEMENT.

METALLIC MAT 0R FLOOR GOVLRLNG. No. 377,478.l Patented Feb.,7, 1888.

Fig. 1.

4 q. Qw

. f y m41/ I By @@TANWQQ5 A sys 'UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE..

METALLIC MAT 0R FLooR- CCVERING- SPECIFICATION forming part' of Letters Patent No. 377,478, dared February 7, 1888.

Application filed Qctobo14,1887. yScrialNo.251,429. (No model.)

To all wwm it may concern:

Be it known that LWIL'LTAM O. BEMENT, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Worcester, lin the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in yMetallic Mats or Floor-Coverings, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my inventionl is to provide a metallic door-mat, which may be made at little cost, and which will be Yof suoli construction that it will not injure the boots or shoes of the users,which is reversible,sothat it may kto permit the "scrapings to fall between them.

These scraping-strips, which are preferably parallel to each other and extend lengthwise of the mat, are perforated at intervals for the passage of comparatively small transverse rods or wires on which sleeves are placed between the strips to. hold the latter separated. The sleeves may consist of plain metallic ferrules or lcollars or short lengths of coiled wire. At the outer sides of the mat and parallel with the scraping-strips are comparatively heavy longitudinal rods or bars which stiffen the mat and hold it from displacement against the strain of scraping, and the transverse rods (which are snfiicientlysmall to render the mat somewhat flexible, sothat it will adapt itself to uneven floors) are riveted or otherwise secured at their outer ends Vto the said heavy rods.

In the drawings, VFigure lis aplan view of my improved mat. Fig. 2 is adetail section lon line d of Fig. 3. Fig. 3 isa detail vplan view on alarger scale than Fig. l.r Fig. 4 is a partial section on line b, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a detail. view showing a modilication.'v Fig. 6 vis a' plan view to show `how very large mats may kbe ymade from smaller ones.

rlhe scraping-bars of the mat consist/ofthe flat strips c, both edges of which are preferably rounded, as shown in Fig. 2, so that the scraping-surfacesl afforded by said `edgeswill not f injure the boots or slices of the users. strips are held in place by the comparativelysmallt-ransverse rods -or wires d-,which pass the said strips, and the latter are held sepa- These 6o" r through holes formed at proper intervals'in'f rated from each otherby sleeves, which-'may` be plain ferrules, e, or smallY coils of wire, e. The rods' 61 being 'comparatively small, arel somewhat flexible, so that the mat by its own ,weight will adapt itself to any unevenness ofthe floor on which it maybe laid, and will therefore not rock or jolt when stepped on. Parallel with the strips c on the outer sides of the matare the strengthening rodsor bars f,to

the vends of the lmat) arelilexible', as,y above stated. The stiff rods br bars f serve as rei" which thek ends of the transverse rods d are secured by riveting or otherwise, the said rods sistancebars to prevent objectionable distorl tion of the mat when in use, the strain on the mat in scrapingbeing transverse of thestrips st rain is excessive, the rods f may bend slightly y v 5301 :l c and 'rods f, as will be understood. i If this when subjected thereto, but they will immediately spring back into place when the scraping strain ceases, and thus the iexiblev mat will always be kept in proper shape.

- As both edges of the lstri'pIcare rounded,the

es'y l mat will be alike on both sides, so that either side of the mat may be used, or it may bere-ly versed when desired. These Astrips c are preferably of flattened wire, which whenV rolled down leaves both edges smooth and rounded,l

as shown in'Fig. `2; but these roiirided-edgedA strips may be made by drawing orotherwise, if desired. The diameter of thesleeves e and e', is preferably lessthanthe width ofthe strips c, so that the scrapinglsurfaces of the matvwill not be interrupted by the said'sleeves. v

To make a large mat, as shown in Fig. 6,

several smaller ones may be secured together lroo by metallic hooks o r links g, this plan being adopted when the mats are placed atwide doorways or stairways.

These mats may be advantageously used whenever grated floor-coverings are desired, and for this purposethey are particularly well adapted for horse-cars and other public vehicles. As these mats are usually made the strips c are so close together that a dime (the smallest coin now in general circulation) cannot lie flatwise between them, so that if any coin be accidentally dropped on the floor of a vehicle provided with these coverings it will not fall entirely through the covering, but will usually stand up partly edgewise between therstrips c and can easily be picked up, and thus annoyance incidental to the loss of coins through the grated floor-coverings now in use in street-ears will be avoided.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my improved mat combines the advantages of cheapness of construction and convenience in use with great durability.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to make mats the bodies of which consist of strips of metal set up edgewise and separated from each other; but so far as I am aware I am the first to make a flexible mat of this kind which will readily adapt itselfto uneven floors, or a,

gitudinal side strengthening-bars, f, larger 1 thanthe transverse rods or wires d, and a series of sleeves on thesaid rods or wires d, between the said strips c,to hold the latter separated, substantially as set forth.

2. A metallic mat or floor-covering consist ing of the combination of the parallel ilat strips c, both edges of which are rounded, a series of flexible transverse rods or wires, d, passing through the said strips, two outerlongitudinal side strengtheningbars, f, larger than the transverse rods or Wires d, and a series of sleeves on the said rods or wires d, between the said strips c,to hold the latter separated, the diameter of the said sleeves being less than the width of the said strips, so that the scrapingsurfaces afforded bythe edges of the latter will not beinterrupted, substantially as set forth. l

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM O. BEMEN T. Witnesses:

A. A. BAKKER, L. NV. BRIGGs. 

